Cheruvayal Raman, a tribal farmer, has helped in conserving 45 varieties of rice seeds heruvayal Raman, a tribal farmer at Kammana, near Mananthavadi, has bagged the National Plant Genome Saviour Award instituted by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Authority, India, for his lifetime engagement in protecting genetic diversity of rice. Mr. Raman has been conserving as many as 45 varieties of rice seeds, different species of trees, herbs, medicinal plants, and spices on his five-acre plot for the past many years. Being a joint family member of the Kurichya tribe, agriculture is part of his culture. While many of the Kurichya joint families are abandoning cultivation of traditional rice varieties owing to various reasons, Mr. Raman and his family have been conserving the seeds as a treasure for the next generation. He has established a network of farmers through an informal seed distribution mechanism by which the farmer transfers seeds to anybody on condition that the same amount is returned next year. “Seeds cannot be sold because it is love and care rather than a commodity,” Mr. Raman says. He welcomes visitors, including students, farmers, and researchers, from various parts of the country to his traditional house to learn about his natural way of farming. As a conservation activist, Mr. Raman has travelled across the State to sensitise students and farmers on conservation of genetic resources. Mr. Raman said the award was the nation’s recognition of a farmer like him and it would help him propagate the message of conservation values to others. Mr. Raman, along with wife Geetha, received the award from Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh at a function in New Delhi recently.